Valve-actuating mechanism



J. HOLL E I 'VALVE ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 1. 1921 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH HOLLE, OF NEWARK, NEWJERSEY. i

Application filed August 1, 1921.

This invention relates vALvE-Ac'rUA'rmG MECHANISM.

to valve actuating mechanisms for explosive engines as used on automobiles and other motor vehicles.

One object of my invention is to provide a 5 mechanism for mechanically opening and closing the valve and to use therewith spring means, operating only after the mechanism has initially closed the same into fully closed valve, to draw the position against its seat to take up any irregularities produced either in the valve or the seat or in any of the parts of the mechanism to hold the valve tightly closed, and thus enable a mechanical valve opening andclosing mechanism to be effectively and efficiently A further object provide cam means used.

of my invention is to for opening and closing the valve rapidly and 'forholding the'valve in open position'a predetermined period of time longer than heretofore for permitting a greater volume of explosive mixture to be drawn into valve is used as an mitting apractically exhaust gases when the the engine cylinder, when I the intake one, and percomplete seavagmg of valve is used as an exhaust one, th reby increasing the power of the engine.

A still further object to provide a mechanism tion, having lightness of assembled and repaired, cost of manufacture and of my invention is simple in construcparts, and readily thus reducing the maintenance.

The invention consists further in the matters hereinafter described and more part1cularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is an end view of a valve actuating mechanism constructed in my invention accordance with Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig. 3 is a vert cal sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. '1;

F i 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end view cam means; and

of another form of Fig. 6 is a side view of the same. 1

In the drawings, 1 ind icates the cam shaft of an explosive engine, such as used in automobiles and other motor said shaft, as by a key vehicles. Fixed on 2, are two cams 3, 4,

laterally spaced apart and having-the contour shown in Fig. 1.

Above the cams 3, movable member '5, ver the instance shown and 4 is a rod or endwise tically arranged in slidably retained in Serial No. 488,750.

a stationary guide bracket 6. end of said member or rod 5 is a bracket 7 integral with the rod and ofiset laterally from one side i This bracket is bifurcated and journaled in the same is a roller 8 having contact with the peripheral surface of the cam 3. Integral with the lower. end of said rod 5 is an arm 9 extending downward therefrom between the cams 3 and 4, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of said arm 9 extends below the cam 4 and to it is secured a bifuracated bracket 10, 'in which is journaled a roller llbearing upward against the peripheral surface of the cam 4. The bracket 10 is secured to the arm 9 by'a set stantially at right-angles to the arm 9' and extends from one side thereof in order that the roller 11 may have rolling contact with the cam. 4 and be. diametrically opposite the roller 8, although not in the same vertical plane therewith, 3

Above the rod 5 is a substantially flat disc shaped valve member 13, as in internal combustion en ines of the character mentioned. The Va pending stem 14 extending toward the rod 5 and in vertical alignment therewith. Arranged between the rod 5 and the valve stem 14 is alinking yoke 15. The valve stem14 extends freely through the upper arm 16 of said yoke so that the stem ma have vertical movement with respect t ereto. The lower arml? of said yoke is connected with the. upper end of the rod5 by an adjusting screw 18 and a lock nut 19, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings. The lower end ofthe valve'stem 14 is opposed to theadjusting screw 18 and, when the valve is At the lower thereof, as shown in Fig. 2..

commonly used screw 12 and is arranged subve 13 has a declosed, is out of contacttherewith, as illus I.

trated in Fig. 1.

On that portion of the valve stem 14 beholds the same against the upper arm 16 of the yoke, while the lower retainer 21 is fixed, to the valve stem by a cotter or other pin 21, as shown.

The upper retainer 20 is 1 remain open or closed for a predetermined period of time. lVhen the parts are in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the valve 13 is closed. The cams are rotated n the direction indicated by the arrow at in Fig. 1.

As the opening face of the cam 3 moves under the roller 8.. the rod 5 is raised carrying therewith the screw 18 and movingvthe same into contact with the lower end or the valve stem 14. At the same time the roller 11 moves from off of the high part or the cam 4 onto the joined closing face of the same. This permits the upward movement of therod 5 to continue and the valve 13 is raised and lit'ted from its seat. During the time that the roller 8 is on the high part'or the team 3 the roller 11 is on the low part of the cam 4, thus holding the valve 13 open and permitting agreater quantity or explosive mixture to he drawn into the engine, whenthe valve is an inlet one, or allowing complete exhaustofexhaust gases from the engine cylinder when the valve is an exhaust one. v

,Being employed as a part or an explosive engine a-s used on automobiles, my valve mechanism operates in a heated condition due to the hightemperatures developed in these engines, This causes the stem 14 to stick in its guide due to the eiipansion of the stemunder such temperatures, andthis condition causes the stem 14 to offer considerahle or abnormal resistance to the movement ot the stern in the opening and closing or the valve. Moreover, the high rate of speed at Which these motors are usually operated makes it necessary to take into account the effect or inertia in a consideration of the operation of my device. Mydesign contemp ates these difiiculties and was thought out 0111116 basis that lighter and heavy spring tension ing to. the better performance or the engine. F l shows the relation of the parts wh en the valve 13 is fully closed or seated. Here, I wish to explain that it is mechanically impossible to have a puppet valve properly seated unless there is means furnished to take flip the wear in the parts or inequalities that might develop, and this means in m" design is throiigh the spring 24. This spring, however, is light, as the design does not re quire heavy tension. However, the action of the spring 24 to be most effective requires parts could be used thatiit be assembled slightly compressed and this isfthe condition of the spring when the valve 13 is any closed or seated, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

slightly and hold eliminated, all act- The sleeve '22 is of such length that a slight clearance is allowed between it and the upper spring retainer 20, as shown in Fig. 3. The screw 18 is adjusted to allow a small clearance between itself and the valve stem 14 as shown.

In the first upward movement of the rod or member 5 from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the rod takes up the clearance between the screw 18 and stem 14. At this time it is apparent that the clearance between the sleeve 22 and the upper spring retainer 20 has increased to the same eitent the clearance previously had between screw 18 and stem 14, and spring '24fh'as' expanded to the same extent; or, inether words, the deadlines been lightened some what. This same relation or the partsremains ..until rod 5 has been moved further upward and has opened the valve 13 to its greatest extent. This is the point where the abnormal conditions previously mentioned enter intothe operation r the parts.

Taking into consideration the "resistance offered to the closing of the valve and that the inertia of the parts has not been overcome by the spring 24, which I again emphasize is light and the tension of which has been further diminished in the upward movement, then the upper" spring retainer 20 will come into contact'jwith thes'l'e'eve or abutment 22 on the first downward movement or the rod 5 to close the valve. Be cause the valve 13 has remanied inert, the screw 18 is taken out of contact with the stem 14, and the entire initialdownward thrust will be delivered by this means mun. closing or the valve as soon as the valve has started to move toward closing. As soon as the valve is will again start to act and carry the downward thrust until the rod 5 reaches its lowest point. The dear-ante allowed between the screw 18 and stem 14 at this time would re quire that the spring 24 again compress the valve 13 seated;

The momentum er the valve when put in motion helps to close the valve and also helps to overcome the resistance offered to the closing oftli-e val've'by the latter sticking on its guide, thereby requiring the use or a very light spring 24. Moreover, this spring acts to hold the valve fully closed or seated and also to take up any irregularities produced in either the valve or the seat by expansion, carbon deposits or otherwise, and insures a proper and e'flicient closing of'tlie valve. Moreover, the spring 24 holds the valve 13 fully closed in the interval or time between the etlective contactor the rod and stem for opening the valve. Thisnot only affords the use of a relatively'li'ght spring for fully c lo's mg the valve after the valve hasheen me chanically moved into initially closed "position, but makes the use or a mechanism for mechanically opening enclosing the valve put into motion, the spring 24' effective, due

the valve. The screw 18 is usedtoadjust any clearance needed in the structure to accommodate for any: variations therein and allow the spring to properly close the valve.

In Figs: and 6 I have shown a different form of cam means for opening and closing the valve. In said figures, indicates a rod or member, similar to the one 5 and connected with a valve stem in the same manner as shown in the preceding figures. At the lower end of said rod 25 is across-pin 26, on which are journaled two rollers 27, 28, arranged on opposite sides of the rod 25, as shown in Fig. 6, and in the same horizontal plane. The roller 27 bears against the pe riphery of the cam members 29 fixed to the cam shaft 1 and similar in shape to the cam 3 previously described. Also fixed to said shaft 1" is a cam member 31 having an in ternal cam surface 32, against which the roller 28 bears and having substantially the same contour as the cam 4.

The form of cam means shown in Figs. 5 and 6 operates in substantially the same way as the cam means shown in the preceding figures, the cam 29 functionig to raise the valve from its seat and maintain it open a redetermined period of time, and the internal cam 31 functioning to close the valve and maintain it closed during a predetermined period of time; the only difference between the two forms of cam means described being in the arrangement of the construction whereby the rollers engage the cam members on the same side of the cams. In Figs. 5 and 6 it will be noted that both rollers are at the lower end of the rod 25 and are in the same horizontal plane, instead of being diametrically opposed as in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The valve actuating mechanism, whether in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 or in the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, causes a positve' opening and closing of the valve by mechanical action, as distinguished from the spring action heretofore employed. Thus, allvalve spring pressures are eliminated and the valve opened and closed and maintained in such positions by positive motor driven means. This construction makes possible the use of lighter parts because of the elimination of spring pressure for opening and closing the valve. Thus the amount of power re quired to operate the cam shaft is reduced and, furthermore, a. quiet valve action is secured, in that the opening and closing of the valve is by mechanical means in both directions and all chattering or vibration of the valve is avoided. Furthermore, the construction described allows the use of cam contours not heretofore practicable because the conventional design had to take into consideration the-heavy spring pressures used for opening and closing the valve. The tendency of the cam follower to ride the cam at high-speed is eliminatedby my construction, and ,with this feature avoided it=is possible to allow the valve to remain'open longer and increase the power of the engine. .While I have shown and described herein in detaila valve actuating mechanism embodying the features of my invention, it is of course to be understood that the'details of construction and arrangement of parts illusrated may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A valve actuating mechanism, comprising in combination a valve with a stem, an endwise movable rod aligned with said stem and provided at its end with a member movable into and out of contact with said stem in the opening and closing of the valve, a

yoke carried by said rod and slidably engaged withsaid stem, an abutment on the stem, an expansion coil spring about the stem and carried thereby between its lower end and the yoke, said spring being compressed by the yoke in its movement against said abutment so that the rod may close the. valve against any resistance to its closin movement, said rod and stem being out 0 contact at the end of the closing movement for expansion of the spring to fully close the valve, and means for reciprocating said rod, said contact member at the end of the rod having adjustable connection therewith for regulating the clearance between the rod and the stem in relation to theclearance provided between the abutment and co-operating portion of the yoke.

2. A valve actuating mechanism, comprising in combination a valve with a stem, a rod aligned with said stem and movable into and out of contact therewith in the opening and closing of the valve, a yoke carried by said rod and slidably engaged with said stem, an abutment on said stem, an expansion coil spring about the stem-and carried thereby between its lower end and yoke, said spring being compressed by the yoke in its movement against the abutment so that the rod may close the valve, said rod and stem being out of contact at the end of the closing movement for the expansion of the spring to fully close the valve, two, laterally spaced power driven cams, and rollers carried by said rod and respectively engaging said cams for moving the rod in opposite directions.

3. A valve actuating mechanism, comprising in combination a valve with a stem, a rod movable endwise into and out of contact with said stem in the opening and closing of the valve, upper and lower retainers 011" said steal-1 Willi the upper fgfa'inef 10m said -cmns, and two ro11ei 1 espctive1y 0am 10 med by said rad a nd mm and engaging sald,

cams at diametrically bpposed p'oinbs for moving the 'rod in opposite clirecti'bn's;

In tstin'lony that I *c la'im "the ffgoiflg as my invention, I affix my signatufe this 15 

